Air chief marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Sir William Alec Coryton, (16 February 1895 – 20 October 1981) was a senior

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) commander in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He was considered by his peers as one of the RAF's most capable group commanders.

Early life and First World War

Coryton was born at

Pentillie Castle Pentillie Castle is a grade II* listed country house and estate on the bank of the River Tamar in Paynters Cross, near to St Mellion, in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. The secular parts of the nearby village of St Dominick once belo ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

on 16 February 1895. He was commissioned as an officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

's Rifle Brigade (

Special Reserve The Special Reserve was established on 1 April 1908 with the function of maintaining a reservoir of manpower for the British Army and training replacement drafts in times of war. Its formation was part of the Haldane Reforms, military reforms im ...

) during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1918 he was transferred to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

(RAF) as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. When the RFC became the

, he resigned his army commission and became an officer of the Royal Air Force.

RAF career

From 1925 to 1928, Coryton was Officer Commanding 16 Squadron, based at

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest re ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, operating the

Bristol F.2 Fighter The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Bif ...

in the tactical

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

role. In 1938 Coryton was made Director of Operations (Overseas) at the

Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...

. He held this post until April 1942, when he was assigned Air Officer Commanding

No. 5 Group RAF No. 5 Group was a Royal Air Force bomber group of the Second World War, led during the latter part (February 1943 – 1945) by AVM Sir Ralph Cochrane. History Overview The Group was formed on 1 September 1937, with its headquarters at RAF Mild ...

. While there he presided over the introduction of the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

into service. In February 1943 Coryton was relieved and replaced by

Ralph Cochrane Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Alexander Cochrane, (24 February 1895 – 17 December 1977) was a British aviator and Royal Air Force officer, perhaps best known for his role in Operation Chastise, the famous "Dambusters" raid. Early RAF career Ral ...

. Air Vice Marshal

Don Bennett Air Vice Marshal Donald Clifford Tyndall Bennett, (14 September 1910 – 15 September 1986) was an Australian aviation pioneer and bomber pilot who rose to be the youngest air vice marshal in the Royal Air Force. He led the "Pathfinder F ...

asserted that Coryton was sacked by Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Harris for refusing to send a force of 24 of his Lancasters in poor weather conditions on a sneak raid to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Coryton was moved to the Air Staff at the Air Ministry, where he served as Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations). On 25 August 1944 Coryton was made Commander,

RAF Third Tactical Air Force The RAF Third Tactical Air Force (Third TAF), which was formed in South Asia in December 1943, was one of three tactical air forces formed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. It was made up of squadrons and personnel from ...

, which was renamed RAF in Bengal & Burma on 4 December 1944 with Coryton remaining in command. Ten days later he was made Assistant Air Commander, Eastern Air Command, a position he held until May 1945. About 15 October 1945, he handed over his duties in Burma and became Controller of Research and Development at the Ministry of Aircraft Production. The next year he transferred to the

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. A separate ministry, however, was responsible for aircr ...

as Controller of Supplies (Air).Rafweb, "Air of Authority." Coryton retired from the RAF in 1951, but remained at the Ministry of Supply in a civilian capacity. He died on 20 October 1981 at Langton Matravers,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

References

External links

Air Chief Marshal Coryton
at Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Coryton, Alec 1895 births 1981 deaths Royal Air Force air marshals Royal Flying Corps officers British Militia officers Rifle Brigade officers Military personnel from Cornwall Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Members of the Royal Victorian Order Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Commanders of the Legion of Merit People from Cornwall